The Forsaken Melody
by FrozenSpitfire
Summary: Anna never expected her life to turn upside down in such a short period of time. A dark cloud, bringing with it dark times, placed itself over the Arende's family home, darkening its once colorful and cheerful life. Now, she's willing to do everything in her power to find out who was the author of such cloud. Sometimes, the worst things come from the people you love the most.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi guys! So... hum... this is a new story of mine! Welcome aboard! (I guess...?) Well, either way, I plan on moving a little slower with this one than I' doing with 'Arrow' (even though I still love it to death! Stay tuned, a new chapter will come out soon). I hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoy writing it! Thank you for reading :D**

Anna takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she walks to the stage with shaky legs, her white dress flowing freely behind her in a wavy motion of silk and cotton. The crowd applauds her presence with fervent excitement, cheers echoing throughout the whole theatre. But, to be honest, it goes completely unnoticed by the redhead. Her mind never forgets its purpose, her eyes targeting the object of such intention. The piano, sitting in the middle of the stage, seems to call out to her, trying to get the attention it deserves. She's itching to fulfill its silent request just as much, but she knows better than to let that sentiment show off.

She eventually has to take her eyes off of it for a moment, so that she can turn to the crowd and offer them a simple bow, in a way of thanking their presence. The theatre is especially full that evening, groups of people joined just to watch her performance. She tries to contain the nervous twist of her stomach, but to no avail. Even though she should've already been used to this kind of treatment, it still makes her nervous every single time.

_This is the worst part_, she reminds herself, as she keeps nodding in greeting and appreciation to everyone present. _After this, it'll all just flow naturally_.

Slowly but steadily, the crowd starts to calm down, the only sound remaining being whispers here and there. Anna nods one last time before turning around and walking towards her longtime friend, with a kind of giddy excitement, knowing that it's sitting there, waiting just for her. With a swift motion of her dress as she rearranges it, she sits down in front of it, a small smile starting to spread on her rosy lips. Her hands start tracing its keys, feeling each and every one of them, a habit of hers before putting them to good use. After being certain that there's no key missing –she tends to think that there'll be one or even two out- , she closes her eyes and hits the first key. The sound it makes echoes throughout the space, and resonates on her heart, causing goose bumps to show up on her skin. With a contented sigh, she hits the other note after that and the other after that one and it keeps going on like that. As always, after she hits the first key, the whole world around her seems to evaporate, staying only herself and her beloved piano. The music courses through her body, transferring its energy out of her fingertips onto the keys, both herself and the piano working together in beautiful coordination. She can feel her body moving along with the melody, her arms and neck moving in ways that only she can explain, whether the tune quickens up or slows down. Her fingers move in a rapid motion, jumping from key to key, as her heart tells her what way her fingers have to move, what's the exact melody she's playing. Playing has always been a passion of hers, and she sees herself as one with the piano. Her love for it showed itself early in her life, since she was raised among music and love.

Her parents are well known musicians, her father being a pianist and her mother a cellist. It was through music that the both of them met each other. They decided to form a duet that's been known for years for their amazing melodies and fantastic coordination. Some people say that they were born to play together. Eventually, they had two daughters that showed just as much love for music and willingness to try everything. But, while Anna showed more love for the piano, her sister had always been considered a prodigy with a cell ever since young age. That had always been one of their parents' goals: to teach their daughters the importance music had, has and will have in their lives and that they should never turn their back on it or underestimate its power. They didn't, however, pressure their daughters in any way to follow a music career. Anna had always felt liberty to choose whichever career she preferred to follow, so, her decision to follow music had been entirely hers. Elsa followed music too, but, being a little closed off, she doesn't play for everyone, leaving that little pleasure only for family and close friends. Sometimes, however, Anna managed to convince her to give a concert with her, but it was only two or three times. Nevertheless, the people who saw both sister's concerts and are aware of Elsa's talent always make a point in saying that both sisters will be 'the next amazing Arende duet'. Anna still doesn't know why they keep saying that, the current Arende duet fits her just fine and she wouldn't dream of using her parents' title to achieve her dreams nor does she want to be known only because of her parents. It's an amazing honor to be compared to them, but she wants to walk with her own legs.

Unfortunately for her, just as quickly as she hit the first note, she hits the last, putting an end to the concert. She feels breathless, her chest heaving up and down rapidly, a very thin layer of sweat dusting her forehead. All of the audience stands up, cheering even louder than before, some throwing roses to the stage. She stands up as well, a wide grin showing off her happiness for everyone to see. It's such a pleasure when people enjoy her music just as much as she does, and she considers it a victory on her part. She picks up a rose from the ground and waves it at them while leaving the stage, all the time smiling and giggling softly.

-xxx-

"Anna!" a brunette calls out to her, running towards the redhead with her arms wide open. Upon reaching the blushing girl, she crushes her in a hug "You did great! It was amazing!" she says ecstatically, not letting go of her. Anna laughs good-naturally, hugging the girl back.

"Thank you, Kate" she says, a new wave of giddiness spreading throughout her whole body. The other girl merely nods, continuing to praise her on her good work.

"I confess that I let slip a few tears during a certain part" she says, laughing a little "You know, I've always loved hearing you play the piano. You do it with such passion, a love that I've never seen in anybody else. It's hard to explain, but I know that you get my point"; and Anna does. She knows what passion Kate is talking about and she's happy that somebody else notices it other than herself and her family. The two girls keep talking as Kate accompanies Anna to her dressing-room, so that she can pick up her things.

"Aren't you excited for the party? I heard there'll be a lot of journalists there, all hoping to speak with you" Kate asks, letting out a dreamy sigh. Anna catches a soft mutter, something along the lines of 'I wish it was me'.

But… Is she excited for the party? That's a good question… she doesn't even know it. She's kind of already used to them, so… she guesses not as much as she would've been some time ago. But, of course parties are always nice and fun…

"…Not so much… It's not that I'm not excited, you know. It's just that… I used to enjoy them more, per say" she answers slowly, choosing her words thoroughly "Well, it doesn't matter either way" she says, shrugging it off "I'll go pick up my things and… hopefully, I'll see you in the saloon?" Anna asks, reaching her key to its respective lock and turning it, opening the door to her dressing room, before turning around to face Kate. The face of said girl changes suddenly, a sad frown adorning her features, as she shuffles uncomfortably on her feet.

"I… no, not really. You know I'm not allowed to go to the parties" she says, sighing sadly "But, oh well, you just gotta keep living, right?" she lets out a little laugh that sounds fake, even for her own ears. Anna feels bad for her and wishes she could actually do something to help the girl go, but she can't. So, she stands there, looking at her feet and thinking of something to say.

"Well… bye Anna. I hope you have fun there" Kate says, breaking the awkward silence. She turns around on her heel and stalks off, ready to keep working. Anna watches her go off, muttering a silent "Goodbye Kate" as she finally enters her dressing room, closing the door behind her and pressing her back against it.

The party will take place in the theatre's saloon, where all the people who were present at the concert will join to eat some food, drink and talk. Anna will be the main 'attraction' as she so puts it, and in the beginning, she knows that a lot of photographers and journalists will want to interview her.

She sighs, picking up her purse from a chair and walking once again out of the room, locking it afterwards. She insisted that she didn't need a dressing-room to begin with, but the theatre owners almost locked her in one, saying that 'a star deserves the utmost comfort' and 'we couldn't leave such a lovely, talented person out here to put her things anywhere! Someone might steal them'. She really didn't feel like putting up a fight, so she didn't argue further. Anna didn't talk with them much, only to schedule her concerts and some other things. Other than that, she tries to avoid them as much as she can, and she knows that they try to avoid her as well. That's fine by her, it's not as if she likes to pretend they have an amazing relationship. Not after she heard them having a conversation in which they offended her sister and herself the year before. She merely supports them.

A few time later, she finds herself in front of the big doors that lead inside of the saloon. She starts wringing her hands nervously without realizing it, as she waits for the doorman to open them up and let her in. When he finally does open them, the first thing that meets her is a big round of applause, everybody inside clapping and smiling at her. She grins too, thanking everybody for being there. A quick glance around the room and she spots her parents and sister in a corner, clapping as well and with the biggest smiles on their faces. She starts walking towards them, having to stop a few times to greet someone or to accept their praises. Once she's close enough, she runs to them, hugging them all tightly in a group hug.

"Honey, you were incredible" her mother says to her, kissing her in the cheek and looking at her with eyes filled of pride and joy. That's the same look all of them share and Anna feels her chest heave with happiness, for the people who matter most enjoyed her performance.

"Thank you, mama. But, I think there was a part where I actually failed a note, in the-" she starts saying, pointing out her flaws during the performance. Her dad approaches her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Anna, there were no flaws. It was perfect. I am so proud of you, princess" he says, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Anna can feel tears starting to gather in the corners of her eyes and she hugs her dad closely, muttering a soft 'thank you, papa' while keeping him close. He rubs her back soothingly, his own eyes starting to water up.

"Well, it's my turn" Anna hears her sister say from beside them, calling for her attention. She let's go of her dad to hug her sister, whose own arms wrap around her.

"Elsa" Anna whispers softly, sniffing a little to keep her tears in.

"You were amazing, Anna. I can't even tell you how much your performance touched me. I loved every minute of it" Elsa says, looking straight into her sister's watery eyes. Anna smiles softly, thanking her sister for the support. Elsa simply nods, returning the smile, before reaching her thumbs under Anna's eyes "Now wipe up those tears. There's a lot of people wanting to speak with you"

After one last hug, Anna wipes the remnant of her tears and walks to the bunch of people calling out her name, who she recognizes as the journalists.

"Miss Arende, Miss Arende, can you give us a little word please!" some of them call out to her. She smiles and approaches them, the intensity of the cameras' flashes increasing with every step she takes.

"Would you mind answering some questions for 'Arendelle's News', please?" they ask her, readying their notebooks and their microphones for her.

With a little shake of her head and yet another smile, she answers "No, not at all"

"Well, thank you very much. That was quite the performance you had tonight, if I may say. Do you point out any flaws?"

Anna bites her tongue before answering, her eyes travelling to her dad, who, upon meeting her gaze, gives her a small nod and a smile. Anna's heartbeat calms down. She knows her family supports her, no matter what, so she doesn't have a reason to stay nervous.

"Of course there's always some flaws in a performance, but nothing too damaging. All in itself, it went out pretty good, actually" she finally answers, a pleased smile on her features.

"Miss Arende, here's Connor Johnson, for 'Summer' magazine. Can you tell us if you have any preference from the songs you played today?"

"Well… it's not a secret that I'm an enormous fan of Beethoven, and that I love _Für Elise_ and _Moonlight Sonata_, which I played today. But… I think I'll have to go with my new piece, which I wrote along with my sister and parents: _Do You Want To Build a Snowman?_"

"And other than that one, do you have any new ones that you're planning on releasing sometime soon?" a voice more to the back of the group asks.

"Yes, actually. I've been helping my sister with one of her pieces lately, which she predicts to go out sometime next month. Me and my fiancé are working together on a new piece too, _Love Is An Open Door_, which will go out soon enough" she answers, playing with the ring on her ring finger, an habit of hers when she thinks about her fiancé. She wonders where he is… it's quite odd he didn't show up yet…

"Speaking of your sister, do you have a prevision of when the next concert of you two will be?" a reporter asks, while a cameraman focuses on her face.

"I can't really predict that" she answers, truthfully "Elsa and I don't plan concerts all that often… so I can't really answer your question"

The questions go on and on for some time, until all of the reporters, photographers, cameramen and journalists finally say their goodbyes, pack their things and leave. Anna's exhausted when that time finally comes, sighing tiredly while walking to her parents and sister once again and sitting at the table with them.

"They did a lot of questions?" Elsa asks, feeling sorry for her little sister. That is exactly why she avoids fame at all costs; she doesn't think she'd be able to stand all of the attention focused on her and all of the questions they ask and… _everything_!

"You have no idea… my head's about to explooode!" Anna moans, placing her head on the table in front of her and rubbing her temples softly. She just feels like getting home, lighting up some candles, listening to some Mozart or Beethoven and taking a warm, relaxing bath in her tub! She sometimes forgets how tiring her concerts can be, but she enjoys them nonetheless.

"Maybe I can put an end to all of that stress" a voice whispers in her ear, making her head shoot straight up. Their heads end up colliding, adding to the pain her head was already feeling.

"Oww… I'm so sorry Hans! I didn't mean to hit you! I just heard your voice and I was happy because of it, so I got up quickly and I ended up hitting you, and you-" he places a finger on her lips to silence her, which makes a quick blush start showing up.

"Sorry" she whispers softly.

"Nonsense, my dear" he says, before bringing his hand, that'd been resting behind his back, in front of her, showing her a beautiful bouquet of roses, tulips and lilies.

Anna gasps softly, bringing one hand to her chest and the other to pick up the flowers "Hans… these are beautiful. Thank you so much!" she says, while gazing lovingly at the flowers.

"You know what they say, beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl" he stops for a while, as if thinking what to say next. He finally decides to add "My girl". He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close, kissing her forehead, then both of her cheeks and then finally her lips. The kiss lasts for a while, Anna enjoying every moment of it as butterflies roam in her stomach. She finds it amazing that he can still have this effect on her after so many times of them kissing, but she puts those thoughts to the back of her mind as she decides to focus on the present.

They finally break apart, and Anna thinks that she might have let out a small, dreamy sigh.

"Now, I think I should apologize" he begins once again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously "I was here at the beginning of the concert and stayed until, more or less the middle. But then my father called me and said he needed me right away to take care of some… business. I guess this is not a good enough apology, but it's the truth, so I hope you can forgive me for my behavior, my sweet Anna" he finishes, looking at the floor with a frown. Anna stares at him for a while, before hugging him once again and kissing his neck softly.

"There's no need to apologize, Hans. I understand that you have your own businesses to take care of and your own things to do. I wouldn't expect you to attend all of my concerts; I know you have a pretty busy and complicated life already. So, don't worry about it. Besides" she decides to add with a playful smile on her face "you brought me beautiful flowers. That should be enough of an apology"

He sighs, relieved, before kissing her again and spinning her around. This kiss leaves her breathless and, to be honest, wanting more.

"Well, how about I take you home? Maybe we could spend some quality time together?" he asks, winking at her, as if reading her mind. Anna blushes a little but nods rapidly, before saying goodbye to her parents and sister and taking off with Hans.

As she walks happily away, she doesn't notice the look of disapproval on every of her family member's face, all of them turned directly to Hans.


	2. Chapter 1 - While You Can

**A/N:** Well, hi there! It's been quite the long time, uh? Let's just forget about it all, okay? :p Well, anyway, here you have the first chapter! Some Kristoff and human!Sven to redeem myself, with a little background story for them, but there's more to come! Also, I have no idea why, but while I was writing Sven's lines, I totally pictured him with a British accent... :p

Well, I hope you stick with me, guys! There's also a line from OUAT in here. I changed it a little bit, but lots of puppies to whomever figures it out! Don't let me bother you anymore, just go on reading! I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

_Chapter 1 - While You Can_

His eyes roam over the newspaper, a frown ever so present on his features. He honestly will never understand these famous people, always smiling and laughing. To anyone else, they scream happiness all over, but to him, it's a different story. Even with all the makeup, all the fancy dresses and jewelry and shoes, they aren't capable of hiding their true self to him. He prides himself on being able to see past all that and get a good look at their true persona. But he wasn't always that weary. Oh no, he had to learn from his own mistakes. Years of trusting the wrong people had that effect. You always managed to learn something from those bad experiences and you only have two courses: you either learn from them or you're dumb enough to fall on that same mistake over… and over… and over. Unfortunately, he learned that the hard way, and he's not proud of that. After falling oh so many times on the same mistake of trusting the wrong people, he finally started learning. Whether it was because of being adopted into a loving family or because he'd finally wizened up, he'll never truly know. He's just glad he was able to move on past all that and achieve his biggest dream: to become a detective to the ACPD – Arendelle City Police Department. And it doesn't hurt that his best friend wanted the same thing and eventually became his partner. They were able to make a name for themselves over the years they've been working together.

He lets a small smile take over his lips right before turning his attention back to the newspaper. But, once eyeing the picture of the Arende girl carefully, the sudden wave of guilt and shame that overcomes him is completely overwhelming. For instead of the redhead, he sees a beautiful brunette. He closes the newspaper rapidly, throwing it on his desk as the smile he was wearing instants ago vanishes into a pained expression. There he was, praising himself not so long ago on how he could see people's true identities, when he knows that is not completely true. He should've know, he should've stopped it! How could he let something like that happen to her? He knows it's his fault and he'll never be able to forgive himself for that.

"Is that a frown I see?" a well-known voice asks him, a subtle hint of worry on it. In fact, it's so subtle that most people would miss it, but years of friendship have taught him well. Kristoff turns in his chair, changing his expression from pained to neutral as he looks up at his best friend.

Sven stands there, two mugs of steaming coffee on both hands and eyes fixed on Kristoff's face. Kristoff tries to ignore the well-known look Sven is giving him, but that doesn't make the feeling of being scrutinized under his gaze any more bearable. Trying to shake the feeling off, he reaches forward to try and grab one of the mugs, but Sven makes sure it's out of his reach. "Is everything alright?" he presses.

Kristoff sighs deeply, crossing his arms over his chest "Yeah… everything's just fine"

Sven continues scanning Kristoff, trying to look for answers. He thinks he might have the slightest idea of what's going on with Kristoff, but he knows better than to continue asking questions and trying to get him to talk. So, with a nod of his head, Sven hands Kristoff one of the mugs, which he readily accepts. The bitter taste the coffee leaves on his mouth is soothing and manages to relax him instantly. He falls back on his chair, a content smile on his features. It's amazing how coffee manages to lift his spirits up with just a sip.

"So, what do we have on the newspaper today?" Sven asks. Kristoff opens his eyes (he hadn't even realized he'd closed them) just in time to see Sven placing the mug down on his desk so that he could pick up the newspaper carelessly laying on top of it. He unfolds it and his eyes quickly scan the front page.

"Looks like that Arende girl gave another successful concert last night" he answers, but he sees that Sven has already found the page of that specific article. Eyes never leaving the newspaper, Sven reaches out for his own chair, sitting next to his desk (which was next to Kristoff's), and drags it over so that it's right in front of his partner's. He sits down and takes his sweet time to finish reading the story. Once he does, he hums under his breath, scanning the pictures that come along with it.

"Have you noticed that her fiancé isn't there with her?" he finally asks. Kristoff almost spits the coffee out, eyes wide and unbelieving. He scoots closer to Sven taking a look of his own at the pictures. Indeed, Sven is right, and Hans Westergard is nowhere to be seen.

"He never misses her interviews. He's always there by her side, smiling and holding her or something" Sven states matter-of-factly.

"How supportive" Kristoff can't help mutter, rolling his eyes. "But you're right" he continues, looking at the pictures again "He's not even on the background"

"We both know that if he was there, he'd never stick in the shadows. He loves the cameras just as much as he loves the girl, if not more"

Kristoff scratches his chin thoughtfully, the light stubble there scraping at his fingertips. He knows _exactly_ where Sven is going with this, and he's willing to bet on it too.

"Which only leaves one question;" he finally says, the hint of a smirk on his mouth "Where was he?"

-xxx-

An enormous yawn leaves Anna's mouth as she blinks her eyes open, trying to get rid of the sleepiness still evident on them. She can clearly feel the sheets wrapped around her legs and she knows her hair is a mess. She doesn't care all that much, though. It's not like she got much sleep last night, anyway.

A lazy smiles takes over her features as she sits up on the bed. She hears the familiar sound of rustling paper coming from the kitchen, which indicates Hans is already up. Deciding that she should take a quick shower so that she could join him, she disentangles her legs from the sheets and wraps those around her tiny frame. She goes into the bathroom attached to Hans's room and turns on the shower, feeling the water's temperature until she thinks it's good. Dropping the sheets to the ground, she steps into it, enjoying the feeling of the water against her skin.

After she dries herself and her hair, she combs it and fixes it in two comfortable braids that rest on her shoulders. She gets a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt from her drawer and puts them on quickly. She can't help but smile at this. She definitely will never get tired of knowing she has her own drawer at Hans's. _Her drawer_. Only hers, filled with some of her clothes and underwear for whenever she spends the night (or the weekend) over. But it's only natural, of course. She will be getting married to him soon enough and she'll move to his apartment for good.

Anna leaves the room and is greeted with Hans' back turned to her, as he fumbles around with some papers, a half-eaten toast resting next to him with a cup of tea. She sneaks behind him and wraps her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek softly. "Good morning" she whispers.

He turns around to face her with a sweet smile, kissing the tip of her nose "Good morning" he replies "Sleep well?"

"Mmmhmm" she answers while walking up to the counter to get one toast for herself. After putting it on a plate and placing it next to Hans, she fills a cup of her own with tea and finally sits down next to her fiancé. "How long have you been up?"

"About two hours" he says, eyes focusing on the papers in front of him again.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you" he shrugs it off, eyes never leaving the papers "Besides, I had these papers to take care of, so I figured I'd let you sleep until I finished them. But you beat me to it"

Anna nods, even though she knows Hans cannot see her. Silence settles between them, which Anna can't decide if it's comfortable or not. Thankfully, his cell phone rings to break the awkward atmosphere. She's not even sure _why_ there should be one, since they haven't even fought, she thinks while he leaves the kitchen to answer the call. She takes a look at the papers he was taking care of, but once she sees pages and pages completely full, some handwritten and others obviously typed in a computer, she huffs and looks away. Honestly, she has no idea how her fiancé can get through with these… things, when she knows that she wouldn't be able to read even one, much less a mountain of them.

Hans returns a few moments later, tucking his phone in his pants' pocket.

"So, what are our plans for today?" she asks, excitement finally filling her whole being for the first time that morning. He starts organizing his papers, before going to his office and locking them in one of his desk's drawers.

"I'm so sorry, love" his voice echoes from the other room "But business just called in. I'm afraid I won't be able to spend the day with you"

"Oh" a hint of disappointment is evident on her tone, as she takes a sip out of her cup to hide the frown that has overcome her against her will "I was kind of hoping we would go out to the park and maybe eat an ice cream. Then we could come back here and continue working on our piece" she says, trying to convince him to stay with her and leave behind whatever business he had to attend, but deep in her heart, she knows it's in vain. She can't help but feel that his work has been taking so much of his time lately. She didn't want to mention it yesterday, when he missed her concert, but this has been disturbing her lately. He would just vanish, sometimes for a week or so, and when she'd ask him where he'd been, he would kiss her and answer the same thing every time: "Working". Anna knows that his family business is really important to him, but isn't she too?

"That sounds lovely, darling" he says, kissing the crown of her head "Maybe another day. This is really important"

She purses her lips and nods reluctantly, accepting his answer once again. He notices the look in her eyes and sits down in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"Thank you for being so understanding. I know I've been working a lot lately, but I just want to make sure you don't have to worry about anything once we're married. I want you to roll around on money and have everything you want. Because I know I couldn't ask for a better wife-to-be"

A blush spreads on her cheeks as she smiles up at him "You know I don't care about money as long as I'm with you"

"And that's why I love you" he finishes, kissing her soundly on the lips. She lets out a contented sigh, kissing him back and forgetting everything.

"Can you take me home?" she asks once they break apart, a little breathless.

"I'm afraid not. I need to get there right away. But here" he picks up his wallet and takes out a ten dollar bill, handing to her "This should be enough. You can catch a cab"

She accepts the money reluctantly, her heart clenching in her chest. She doesn't want to whine again, but she can't help the feeling of sadness that overcomes her. Did he just tell her to catch a cab?

They leave the apartment in a hurry, him giving her a chaste kiss on the lips and getting in his car and her walking down the street searching for a cab. She shouldn't feel hurt. He needs his job, he wants to give her a better life. How could she be so selfish as to feel sad and angry by his sacrifice? He's doing everything he can for her and here she is, complaining about how he doesn't spend time with her.

"Hey! Please stop!" she calls out to a cab driving down the street. It stops in front of her and after a quick 'Thank you' and giving the driver her address, the cab drives off once again. She sits back and closes her eyes, breathing deeply and blaming herself all over again.

-xxx-

"Elsa, let's go out!" Anna states, getting up from the couch. Her sister eyes her over the rim of her reading glasses, taking in her appearance. A pair of pajama shorts adorned with snowmen and a t-shirt ('I like warm hugs' there written) are Anna's choice for that day, the redhead's hair in a messy bun atop her head. Turning her attention back to her book, Elsa can feel a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Like that?" she asks softly, trying to look completely uninterested.

Anna looks down at herself and blushes a little. "Of course not!" she shakes her head, strands of hair falling out of her bun over her eyes. She brushes them out of her line of sight and huffs quietly, crossing her arms over her chest "I just thought that since mama and papa are coming home late, we could spend some sister quality time!"

"'Sister quality time'?" Elsa repeats, uncertainty evident in her tone as she looks up at her little sister.

"Yeah! We could go to our favorite restaurant and then we'd go to a club or something" Anna asks hopefully, intertwining her hands and kneeling down next to Elsa "Please" she pleads, her bottom lip popping out in a pout that Elsa would find annoying in most people but somehow found it endearing on her little sister.

Pursing her lips in concentration, the blonde thought about it carefully. Closing her book and taking out her reading glasses, she finally smiles at Anna and nods her head in approval "Okay" she states. Anna jumps in a little victory dance when Elsa interrupts "But" she starts, making the redhead stop instantly "I'll have to say no to the club"

Anna's shoulder's slump in defeat "But Elsa…"

"We don't need to go to a club to have fun, Anna. We could just take a walk around town for a while"

"Hmm… okay, I guess" Anna nods her head "that sounds fun" she finally smiles and starts running towards the stairs, climbing them rather clumsily. "I'll go get dressed then!"

Elsa laughs at her sister's antics, getting up herself so that she could too get dressed. Yeah, why not? A night out will do her good, as well as her sister. It's been quite some time since they had had 'sister quality time'. And, to be honest, Elsa was looking forward to it.

-xxx-

Their dinner table was full of laughter and chatter as the two sisters ate peacefully, sharing stories and remembering tales of when they were children. They certainly missed these little hangouts. It's been quite a long time since their last one and Elsa was now thankful for Anna's idea. With the redhead's wedding approaching, she'd been spending more time with Hans than with her family itself.

Elsa can't really blame her little sister. After all, it _is_ her wedding, an event she's been dreaming of practically since she was born. She just wishes Anna had chosen a better fiancé. It's not like Hans has ever been rude to her or disrespectful, but there's just something about him… something that automatically makes her not trust him. Her parents get the same vibe of him and they've all tried to warn Anna, but she just won't listen to reason. That's probably one of the causes as to why Anna has been drifting away from them. All of the countless arguments involving Hans… they're pointless. She can't even imagine what would happen if Anna knew their parents had thought about not going to the wedding. They say it's hard to watch their daughter marry someone not worthy of her. Not worthy of her love.

"Elsa?" Anna calls out to her, a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised slightly in question.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready to go? I've already paid for our dinner"

"Oh… okay" the blonde girl nods in agreement "Sorry, I just got lost in my own world for a little while"

"It's okay" Anna chuckles a little, already used to her sister's drifting away things. With a small wink, the redhead grabs her sister's hand and drags her outside "So, where are we going now?" she asks, looking around. Then an idea pops up in her head and an enormous grin takes over her features "Ooh, ooh, I know! I heard there's this new shop in town, where they sell chocolate! And _only_ chocolate. In all types, flavors, forms, _everything_! It's not too far from here" jumping up and down in excitement, the younger of the two can't help but squeal a little. Elsa laughs, shaking her head at her sister's antics. Taking hold of Elsa's hand again, Anna starts walking down the street, a look of determination set on her features.

"Can you imagine that?" she asks after a few moments of silence "It must be a chocolate-y heaven!"

"I don't doubt it" Elsa answers, keeping up with her ecstatic sister.

Once they arrive, Elsa can't stop her eyes from widening. The place was_ huge_.

"This gigantic shop… is filled with chocolate?" she whispers astonished.

"Let's find out!" Anna says, running inside the shop. After a few moments, Elsa follows her in as well. But if she thought the outside was amazing, the inside was even more so. Rows and rows of shelves lined up the shop, all of those full of different types of chocolate as Anna had said. A counter sat at the back of it, as a smiling saleslady stood proudly behind it.

"Good evening!" she greets, the smile never fading. "How may I help you?"

When Elsa finally manages to snap out of it, she smiles too and politely declines the woman's help, saying that they 'won't take long' and that they 'just wanted to check out the new shop'.

She walks through the aisles mesmerized, the smell of chocolate always present.

"Hey, Elsa?" she looks up at her sister's voice "I think we should take some. Mama and papa will love it!"

The older girl nods and after what felt like hours of walking around the shop (all the time 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing and also calling each other once they found some kind of interesting chocolate), Anna finally decides which chocolate to take with them. The saleslady puts them in a beautiful box with a ribbon on top and hands it to them. Saying their goodbyes, the sisters leave and decide to finally go home. Chatting animatedly along the way, both siblings arrive home in no time at all.

"Wow" Anna mumbles "That was quick". They'd settled on walking to the restaurant so that they could enjoy the warm weather and have more time to talk, but it seems time just flew by.

"Let me just get the keys" Elsa says as they approach the house. She starts rummaging through her purse, when Anna places her hand atop Elsa's arm to stop her. Elsa eyes her sister with confusion, until the redhead points to the front door. Elsa looks at it and instantly knows it's open. Both sisters look at each other, fear clearly present on their eyes. Bringing a finger to her lips, Elsa opens the door carefully.

She vaguely registers the box falling to the ground, its contents spilling over the tainted carpet.

In the dead of the night, she doesn't know what's more deafening: Anna's scream or the short silence that follows it.


End file.
